This invention relates to improved apparatus for placing inserts into newspaper jackets and more particularly to such apparatus which provides for increased capacity for the number of different inserts which can be placed into newspaper jackets as the jackets move along a conveyor of predetermined length and which reduces the set-up time required by operators in preparing the machine for operation.
Inserting machines for placing inserts or supplements into signatures or newspaper jackets are well known. Examples of such machines are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,577,261; 4,085,927 and 4,401,299, each of which patents is incorporated herein by reference.
Each of the machines described in the above-identified patents and other similar machines uses a gripper finger located in a center drum or wheel. The gripper finger is closed onto a pre-printed insert or supplement, and the insert or supplement is carried around the drum by approximately 180xc2x0. The insert or supplement is then grasped between two opposing belts, which are commonly referred to as drum belts and tension belts. The gripper finger then opens to release the insert or supplement to be propelled by the belts into an opened newspaper jacket or signature. The gripper finger is operated by a rotating cam which is attached to a shaft upon which a plurality of additional drums or wheels are attached. The drum belts are positioned on one or more of the additional drums or wheels and the tension belts are located in opposition to the drum belts.
Although such devices have served the purpose, they have not proved entirely satisfactory for a number of reasons. For example, only one gripper finger can be used for each stack of inserts because of the physical constraints of the inserter mechanism. As a result, all pre-print inserts must be placed in the exact center of the insert container or pocket to enable the gripper finger to pull the insert around the drum. Elaborate planetary gear timing mechanisms must be employed to allow the operator of the inserter machine to time the rotation of the gripper finger drum to match the exact sequence of the newspaper jacket""s cover passing in front of the insert container.
Today, many different sizes of pre-prints or inserts are used. Each different size insert requires that the timing mechanism for the pocket or container for each different sized insert be readjusted by an operator to properly time the propelling of the insert into the jacket as the jacket moves past the insert container.
Pre-print inserts also vary greatly in thickness from a single sheet page to magazines or coupon books of twenty or more pages. The insert gripper finger of existing inserter machines has a manually operated mechanical adjustment to allow for various thicknesses of inserts but requires great skill and a significant amount of time to adjust the gripper finger to properly grasp inserts of different thicknesses.
The average set-up time by a skilled operator for conventional inserting machines having an insert gripping finger is ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the insert sizes and thicknesses.
Also, when using conventional inserter machines having gripper fingers, inserts of only a single size can be placed into each pocket or insert container. Because the inserts must be centered within the pocket or container to enable the inserts to be grasped by the centrally located gripper finger, a significant amount of container or pocket space may be wasted. Thus, if an operator has ten inserts to be placed into one newspaper jacket, the operator requires a conventional inserting machine with eleven pockets, one pocket for the jacket cover and one pocket or container for each insert.
Because the use of an insert gripper finger and all its associated complex timing mechanisms are eliminated in the improved apparatus of this invention, the inserts need not be centered in each insert container or pocket. As a result, more than one size insert can be positioned within each insert container or pocket and the drum and tension belts can be moved to properly remove the inserts from the containers and to propel the inserts into the jackets as the jackets pass by the containers on the conventional jacket conveyor.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for efficiently placing inserts of various sizes and thicknesses into newspaper jackets.
Another object is to provide an improved apparatus for efficiently propelling newspaper jackets or signatures from a container onto a conveyor.
Another object is to provide such apparatus which modifies belt mechanisms currently used in prior art inserting machines for grasping and propelling inserts of different sizes and thicknesses into newspaper jackets.
A further object of the invention is the provision of such apparatus which modifies existing inserter machines to movably adjust the belt gripping mechanisms or assemblies to increase the number of inserts which can be accommodated by the existing inserting machine.
Still another object is to provide such improved apparatus which reduces the set-up time required by operators.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of such apparatus which efficiently accommodates inserts of different sizes and thicknesses.
A still further object is to provide such apparatus which eliminates the need for complex planetary gear timing mechanisms and which eliminates the need for a gripper finger mechanism to grasp and remove inserts from each insert stack.
Another object is to provide such apparatus which can insert an increased number of inserts into newspaper jackets at less cost and by using less floor space.
Still another object is to provide such apparatus which uses existing cams and timing mechanisms of conventional inserting machines to activate belt-gripping mechanisms which grasp and propel inserts into newspaper jackets as the jackets are moved by a conveyor along a path past containers holding the inserts.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages are realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve these and other objects, the present invention provides apparatus for sequentially feeding stacked inserts one at a time from each of a plurality of insert containers into opened newspaper jackets as the jackets are moved by a conveyor along a path past the containers, the apparatus including a plurality of inserting devices mounted on first supports and controlled by a driver and first timing elements for withdrawing the inserts one at a time from each of the containers and for propelling the inserts into the open jackets as the jackets pass by the containers, wherein the improvement comprises: each of the inserting devices including a first shaft rotatably mounted in the supports and connected in operative relationship for being rotated by the driver; a plurality of first circular drum elements fixedly mounted on the shaft; a plurality of first movable belt assemblies positioned, respectively, on predetermined of the drum elements and between the predetermined drum elements and the conveyor for movement with the predetermined drum elements as the predetermined drum elements are rotated by the shaft; and a plurality of second movable belt assemblies connected in operative relationship with the timing elements and movably adjustable for respective positioning in opposed relationship with the first belt assemblies and the predetermined drum elements for receiving an insert, withdrawn from one of the containers, between the first and second belt assemblies and for propelling the insert into the jacket.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory but are not restrictive of the invention.